Chapter 877: How Did He Do It? (Part 2)

Making the gluten dough alone takes over two hours, so how did Fu Yu manage to prepare and cook the entire pot of sweet and sour pork in just an hour and a half?

It’s worth noting that sweet and sour pork is originally a very time-consuming dish, requiring batter coating and going through oil twice!

Fu Yu managed to complete the whole process nearly an hour faster than Zhao Meng.

How did he do it?

Fu Yu worked diligently from start to finish, and if it weren’t for Zhao Meng pointing it out, even Zhang Jinyu, who was assisting nearby, wouldn’t have noticed.

At that moment, the people around him became curious!

Fu Yu couldn’t possibly claim he had a few amazing skills that allowed him to control time so perfectly, without wasting a single second!

Even Zhao Meng was curious after he mentioned it and couldn’t help but ask, “How did you do it? Did you skip any steps?”

Fu Yu: “Mix the dough, repeatedly wash, boil the gluten, I cut the gluten into thin slices, which saves some time when steaming.”

Steaming the gluten usually takes about half an hour, and if you really want to save time, each step in the process needs to be as efficient as possible, and the speed must be fast.

This really tests the chef’s technique.

Fu Yu did a great job, considering that gluten is indeed a very good alternative to pork loin.

In terms of taste and appearance, it’s the closest to actual meat.

Zhao Meng is increasingly pleased with Fu Yu now.

Being able to quickly assess alternative ingredients and efficient cooking methods for a dish, and execute them decisively, isn’t something just anyone can do.

Without a thorough understanding of various ingredients, it wouldn’t be possible!

This is how it is in a kitchen emergency, often sudden, and greatly tests the chef’s quick response ability.

If you can’t come up with a solution promptly, it could very likely lead to customer dissatisfaction.

Fu Yu’s handling was very well done.

This made Zhao Meng somewhat emotional, Fu Yu’s improvement recently has been truly significant.

It seems, he’s nearly ready to handle things independently.

Anyway, the dishes have already been brought to the front area.

Fu Yu has done everything he can; if it doesn’t work out, they’ll have to find another solution.

During dining hours, the kitchen is always very busy.

Fu Yu was focused on his cooking, and even when Liu Yuqing came over to deliver a takeout order, he merely shot a glance, without even a moment to chat.

Busy as he was, he quickly put the matter behind him.

But Xiaolin soon took the opportunity to come to the kitchen with news while delivering dishes.

“Chef Fu! The customers are very pleased with the new pot of sweet and sour pork!”

Seeing Xiaolin, Fu Yu remembered the matter and responded happily, “Really? They weren’t impatient, were they.”

Xiaolin laughed, “When I brought the dishes over, I heard the customers urging, but once the dish was on the table, they didn’t say a word.”

Fu Yu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It’s good that the customers are satisfied.

In the private room, the old lady looked at the sweet and sour pork in front of her and also breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully the dish has arrived, otherwise, who knows if she’d get another chance to try it in the future.

Qianlima’s sweet and sour pork portion is quite generous.

The shining golden meat slices on the white porcelain plate are garnished with cilantro, scallions, and carrots.

A large plate that exudes heat with a tangy aroma directly hitting the nose, making one’s mouth water.

Just then, the middle-aged woman accompanying her mother to Qianlima for dinner was using chopsticks to help the old lady pick a piece of sweet and sour pork and place it on the plate in front of her.

“Quick, give it a try. We’ve been waiting for nearly two hours just for this dish.” The middle-aged woman couldn’t help but gripe, “Fried stuff is surely hard and not easy to digest; look at this table of dishes, any of them are more nutritious than the sweet and sour pork! But no, you had to have this!”

The middle-aged woman’s dissatisfaction focuses on the long wait time and the difficulty in digesting the sweet and sour pork.

She didn’t care at all about how they ordered a whole table of dishes and the old lady barely touched them, which all went to waste.

Ultimately, it’s all because she cares for the old lady’s health; as a daughter, the biggest fear is the elderly being unwell or unhappy.

The old lady, who had been anticipating this moment for a long time, had no temper even when being nagged. She picked up her chopsticks and lifted the sweet and sour pork to her mouth.

The sweet and sour pork had just come out of the pot and was still hot.

A bite revealed a crispy texture, tender inside, with an instant burst of sour, sweet, rich aroma, and savory meat flavor filling her mouth, looking as if stars were in her happy eyes.

Plus, the meat was very tender; the old lady herself had bad teeth, so previously chewing the sweet and sour pork made with pork loin was very strenuous, taking forever and still unable to chew it into pieces to swallow.

But now this piece of sweet and sour pork remained flavorful but was much softer to chew.

Savoring slowly with just one piece, leaving the lips and teeth fragranced; the tangy sweetness opens the appetite as if she could eat another whole large plate.

As people age, appetite diminishes, and sweet and sour is the cornerstone of sweet and sour pork; one bite and the tongue and nose simultaneously savor the tangy sweet flavor, leaving an enduring taste.

The old lady, enjoying herself, suddenly had her appetite stimulated, and after finishing one piece of sweet and sour pork, she picked up her chopsticks again to grab another.

The middle-aged woman, seeing this, couldn’t help but advise, “Mom, eat slower, this stuff is hard to digest, chew a bit more!”

Though she said so, there’s no way the old lady would truly listen.

Hearing her daughter speak like this, she agreed orally but practically continued to eat without any ambiguity.

The middle-aged woman initially tried to dissuade, but later saw the elder eating with great enjoyment, her face also began to show a smile.

Unable to stop her, she could only help pour a cup of the complimentary jujube water from the restaurant, ready to hand it anytime for the elderly to drink when thirsty.

The middle-aged woman watched the elder with a revived appetite and couldn’t help but tease, “Do you love it that much?”

The old lady nodded, “It’s really delicious, theirs is the authentic one, and this batch of sweet and sour pork is particularly tender.”

When the middle-aged woman heard this, she also grabbed a piece, looked closely first, it was exactly like the previous batch, and taking a bite, she found it quite authentic as well.

She bit half off and examined the meat texture wrapped in batter, “This pattern doesn’t quite look like pork, how does it seem a bit like beef?”

The old lady shook her head, “That’s impossible, beef is much tougher than pork once fried.”

The middle-aged woman nodded in agreement, “That’s true, but it is indeed quite tender; indeed, the chef here has some skills.”

The old lady was delighted, “Right, I keep saying theirs is authentic!”

The middle-aged woman, seeing the old lady so happy, amusedly said, “Okay, since you love it, eat more then.”

The old lady had been nagged for a while, and this time finally felt triumphant, couldn’t help but mutter softly, “I definitely have to eat more, you usually don’t bring me here.”

The middle-aged woman laughed helplessly, “I’m just concerned the cold and slippery road might lead to a fall, plus fried stuff isn’t good for the body. But if you really love it so much, I’ll bring you again next time; after all, it’s not far.”

“Mom, don’t just eat this dish, try the lobster, eat something nutritious…”

…

At the entrance of the private room, after Xiaolin brought word to the kitchen, he brought another dish back.

After delivering the dish, Xiaolin intentionally detoured to check the old lady’s dining status.

Seeing the server standing there with a sentimental expression, peering in, Xiaolin leaned in for a glance, and saw the old lady happily enjoying the new serving of sweet and sour pork, couldn’t help but whisper to the server, “The old lady seems to be enjoying her food!”

The server, watching the middle-aged woman offering the old lady jujube water, also couldn’t resist a sentiment, “They say children are for old age support, but look how daughters are more thoughtful!”

Nagging comes from a place of care.

As people age, many behaviors and thoughts become a bit childlike, less understanding.

Why else do we say old babies and little children.

Though being daughters often leads to concerns and reminders, sometimes complaints, the intention in the heart is still for the elder to be healthy and happy.